Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo- A shining light in a birdless month in Singapore

 16th July 2023

It was a boring morning in a boring month. With almost no rarities appearing the past few weeks, birding activity in Singapore was extremely dry. That changed however on 5th July when Singapore's only Austral migrant, the Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo decided to dock on our shores for the first time since 2018. Previously, it occurred almost annually, even in high numbers so this was a shocking sighting. I was itching to twitch it, but the chains of the life of a student shackled me. I had a piano examination. Immediately after the nerve-wrecking examination, a mad rush was made to the spot where it was sighted. 

A grassland dotted with mimosas, surrounded by coastal parkland attracted pipits, herons and tree sparrows. However the fateful cuckoo which had just made an appearance an hour before my arrival was MIA. Dressed in formal clothing, I baked in the hot and humid climate of Singapore. Unable to stand being roasted, dressed in my fancy aluminum foil, I gave up.

Fast forward to today, in math tuition learning about the Trigonometric Ratio, I was so anxious to the point I was about to vomit. Floods of messages and notifications came in from Telegram, Facebook, Whatsapp and literally any social media platform you can think of. Skipping lunch, when tuition ended I bolted out the door with sine, cosine and theta still fresh in my mind. On the drive towards the site, I was bouncing up and down in my seat, unable to contain my joy. However each passing minute felt like pricks of needles as the bird could easily depart off our little red dot and continue its return journey to Oceania. 

When we arrived at Tuas South, specifically this area (1.264965, 103.622650), the landscape was barren, dominated by construction barriers and tall grass. That was when I noticed a tiny dot flying in the sky. A sunbird? Too big? A Mynah? Too small. A Little Bronze Cuckoo? Wait, it's the Horsfield's! I blasted away gripping tight on my lens like a sniper as the bird landed in a nearby tree and gave astounding views.

Late November Highlights 2022

18th Nov

With a recent sighting of a Lanceolated Warbler at Botanical Gardens, another trip was made to scour the vast amounts of bushes it could possibly hide in the gardens. At the Fragrance Garden, a female Japanese Paradise Flycatcher was very active as it hunted alongside other flycatchers and an Eastern Crowned Warbler

Japanese Paradise Flycatcher(female)

Eastern Crowned Warbler

At the eco lake, a Changeable Hawk Eagle flew by extremely close. The pair of resident Lesser Whistling Duck are very obliging and even though I was only a few feet away it did not fly off. 

Changeable Hawk Eagle

Lesser Whistling Duck

At the healing gardens, a long-staying Crow Billed Drongo was still present and an Asian Brown Flycatcher hawked for insects nearby. A Collared Kingfisher then replaced the Crow Billed Drongo. I rarely see or even hear the Collared Kingfisher in the gardens so I was quite satisfied despite it being a common widespread bird.

Crow-billed Drongo

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Collared Kingfisher

At the Ethnobotany Garden, at the tall bamboo patches, the Indian Paradise Flycatcher was hidden in the dense vegetable, in comparison the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher was much more obliging. As the sun went down and the light dwindled, while I was returning to the carpark disappointed that I failed to bag the Lanceolated Warbler, a sudden flash of orange caught my eye. A quick scan of the nearby aquatic plants revealed a charming tiny Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher which gave more than satisfactory views!

Yellow Rumped Flycatcher

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher

21st Nov

After a tiring day of school activities, I checked my phone to have a flurry of notifications as news had come that a rare Amur Stonechat had been sighted. It is just a 5 minute drive from my school! My dad who was picking me from school quickly changed directions. Upon our arrival, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to the small pond located inside Dover Walking Trail. As my white shoes sinked deeper and deeper into the tall grass, and stained browner and dirtier, only one thought encompassed my mind. "Was I gonna dip once again" The voice of a fellow birder at the sight brought me back to my senses. As I regained my breath, panting heavily, the birder pointed out where the bird was and was kind enough to lend me his binoculars for a splendid view! 

Ubin day trip

As it was approaching late November, a sense of uneasiness filled me, there were so many birds I had missed and dipped on. Mostly because of school. I was overwhelmed by the fear of not being able to enter into the top 5 during my Big Year. Most of the birds that I have missed were waders, with the Black-tailed Godwit eluding me by one day and the rest appearing only when I had school. Therefore me and my friend Joshua planned a full day trip to sweep some waders and also tick our a bird that has eluded us for a long time, the Cinnamon Headed Green Pigeon. Going to Ubin is an arduous and tiring task, not to mention the need to pay for a fee for a boat ride to and fro the island, additionally, a taxi is also needed to travel across the island. Despite the ominous dark clouds and the booming thunder, having spent countless hours and probably hundreds of dollars, I was determined to not return home with another dreadful tale of a dip. 

At the ferry terminal, it was deserted save for two idle fishermen, out of desperation to reach early before the pigeons were no longer active, we paid the extra fee. We started off well with Joshua seeing a Lesser Crested Tern which I failed to photograph. As we go closer to the island, Greater Crested Terns swarmed the boat with some flying directly next to us. Joshua joked how he managed to get 2 lifers he would have to pay 10 times the price for in a Pelagic trip.

Great Crested Tern

When we finally reached the living lab where the pigeons were known to occur, the rain started to pelt down furiously. We rushed to the nearest shelter feeling even more despair. We solemnly counted the passing swifts and swallows as we awaited the cessation of the heavy downpour. Out of the blue, Joshua alerted me that two pigeons were heading our way. I thought nothing of it, feeling down from all the misfortune we had encountered thus far. However, the misfortune and disappointment quickly melted away into excitement and screaming as Joshua shouted 

"CINNAMON HEADED GREEN PIGEON!"

I scrambled to his location, struggling to even raise my binoculars as my hands were shaking from the excitement and the cool breeze. That was when I saw it, with my naked eye, the bright distinct name-sake "Cinnamon Head" shone brightly and brightened up the gloomy sky. With its pale greenish body and maroon back, it was truly a sight to behold. As the birds zoomed past the shelter, I felt an immeasurable amount of pride and satisfaction, I collapsed to the floor crying tears of joy, profusely thanking Joshua. Although, both me and Joshua were unable to photograph it (we both left our cameras on the floor) , it was easily the most memorable experience of the year.

At Ketam Quarry, a few Grey Herons were present so was a distant Grey Headed Fish Eagle and Crested Serpent Eagle. Flocks of almost hundreds of Blue Tailed Bee eaters were present. Probably my highest count and a Ruddy Kingfisher was seen briefly by my mom. While waiting for the Kingfisher, it finally appeared! However it was the "common" variety.

Grey Heron

Common Kingfisher

At Jalan Wat Siam, I spotted a Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo and we heard the song of the Yellow rumped Flycatcher. Flocks of hornbills flocked to the fruiting trees along with an Indian Cuckoo we saw briefly.

Oriental Pied Hornbill

Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo

At the living lab, many common birds were buzzing about. Common Flamebacks creeped up the tree branches, Pink Necked Green Pigeons flocked the trees. Straw Headed Bulbuls sang their melodious songs. We even got a female Copper Throated Sunbird and heard a Mangrove Pitta. We then heard the calls of a Red wattled Lapwing, at the Mangroves, a pair of Red Wattled Lapwings gave brilliant views!

Red Wattled Lapwing

At Pekan Quarry, there were many Grey Herons and a Brahminy Kite gave close but obstructed perched views.

Grey Herons

Brahminy Kite

At Chek Jawa Wetlands, our first stop was Pulau Sekudu, slowly but surely Greater Crested Terns and Grey plovers littered the frog island. When all of a sudden, they took off revealing Ruddy Turnstones hidden among the plovers. 

Grey plover

Ruddy Turnstones+Grey Plover

At the faraway sandbars of the Coastal Boardwalk, we had very distant views of

36 Grey Plovers

110 Lesser Sand Plovers

5 Red Necked Stint

15 Whimbrels

12 Ruddy Turnstones

1 Marsh Sandpiper

5 Common greenshanks

1 Bar Tailed Godwit

1 Terek Sandpiper

2 Common Sandpiper

1 Pacific Golden Plover

1 Little Ringed Plover

57 Greater Crested Terns

2 Little Terns

and most importantly, my 300th Singapore tick, the Broad Billed Sandpiper!

Bar Tailed Godwit, Grey Plovers, Lesser Sand Plovers and Ruddy Turnstone

Red Necked Stint, Lesser Sand Plover and Grey Plover

Broad Billed Sandpiper with Ruddy Turnstone, Grey Plover and Pacific Golden Plover

Apart from the waders we also got good views of Collared Kingfishers perching on the railings even! Oriental Honey Buzzards,Grey Headed Fish Eagles, Brahminy Kites and White Bellied Sea Eagle were soaring and sometimes hunting for food, stealing from the herons. There was a stunning breeding plumage Grey Heron and we ended off the day with close views of the majestic Great Billed Heron

Grey Heron(breeding)

Collared Kingfisher

Oriental Honey Buzzard

Great Billed Heron

25th Nov

Having dipped on the Zappey's Flycatcher due to school, I was determined to get it. This year we had multiple sightings of Zappey's Flycatcher which is quite unusual as they are usually more rarer than the Black-and-White Flycatcher which was not seen this year. Looking at the reports, it usually appeared at 8am. However, it was already 8:30am with no Zappey's, we were entertained by the many Baya Weavers and Laced woodpeckers. Finally at 9am, the Zappey's Flycatcher, it appeared far away but eventually came close. Luckily not a dip!

Baya Weaver

Laced Woodpecker

Zappey's Flycatcher

26th Nov

At Botanical Gardens, Mugimaki Flycatchers were ever present. One second you would see a male in one corner and in the other corner you would see a female. An Amur Paradise Flycatcher also came nearby and gave great views. Grey Rumped Treeswift filled the skies just before sunset.

Mugimaki Flycatcher

Amur Paradise Flycatcher

Grey Rumped Treeswift

27th Nov

The fields in Seletar are filled with snipes and a King Quail was reportedly seen from one of the fields. So of course, the next day our destination would be Seletar! Wearing boots, we trudged through the tall grass, each step we took, dozens of snipes would be flushed. Greater Painted Snipes, Swinhoe/Pintailed and a few Common Snipes. Finally nearing the end of the huge field, we got our target albeit, I missed the shot. Out of the blue, it started pouring heavily without warning, causing us to tread through the 500m walk back. We were all drenched, but content.

"Swintail" Snipe

30th Nov

At Macritchie Reservoir Park, we managed to record the call of the Sakhalin Leaf Warbler and also got a female Japanese Paradise Flycatcher.

Jap Paradise Flycatcher

Early November highlights

 2nd November

With a great find of a national first at Sungei Buloh, the Black Headed Ibis, I was quite disappointed that I had no time to go when it first appeared. Fortunately, it stayed for a few more days allowing for very good views of this very rare vagrant. There were many shorebirds on the mudflats but the only noteworthy one was a Marsh Sandpiper. It foraged side by side with a greenshank showing the stark difference between them. While returning to the car park, a Dark Sided Flycatcher appeared. At Turut Track, a Red Wattled Lapwing showed appeared by the road with a flock of common Waxbill. A Common Sandpiper perched nearby on a railing.

Black Headed Ibis

Common Greenshank (left)- Marsh Sandpiper (right)

Dark Sided Flycatcher

Red Wattled Lapwing

Common Waxbill

Common Sandpiper

In the afternoon, in the train on the way to Jurong Lake Gardens, an alert from ebird quickly changed the route to Pasir Panjang where just across the station was a Daurian Redstart. Upon reaching, after a short wait, it quickly appeared and gave amazing views.

Daurian Redstart

6th November

Feeling disappointed from the amazing raptor watch on 4th November which I missed due to school, I was eager to get lifers and year birds today. The morning started off with a good start with an extremely memorable moment as I spotted a weird Accipiter flying really low. At first we thought it was a normal Japanese Sparrowhawk. But later, we were notified that it was the 12th record of a Besra! It was identified by its thick mesial stripe and 5 short "fingers"  This would one of the best highlights of my Big Year! During the raptor watch. we also got Eastern Marsh Harrier, Common Kestrel and Jerdon's Baza. All lifers!

Besra

Eastern Marsh Harrier

Jerdon's Baza

7th Nov

In the morning, a raptor watch yielded very little results and could not compare to the great haul from the previous day. Notable highlights would be a peregrine falcon and Grey Faced Buzzard. A Jerdon's and Black Baza provided good views whilst a more common resident Changeable Hawk Eagle drifted by.

Peregrine Falcon(left)- Oriental Honey Buzzard(right)

Black Baza

Grey Faced Buzzard

Changeable Hawk Eagle

Jerdon's Baza

In the afternoon, we made a last minute decision to explore the rural Sungei Tengah. It was a deserted area with tons of farms and fenced up fields. Along the roads there were hundreds of swallows. Most of them were Barn but a few Red Rumped and Pacific resided in among them. They would occasionally perch on the wires or fence with one of them even being the rare rufous bellied subspecies.

    Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow(rufous-bellied)

Numerous Blue Tailed Bee-eaters provided superb views from the car but once you left the vehicle they would take off. A pair of Black Winged Kites hunted in the area displaying its hovering behaviour. Shrikes were also a common sight with Brown Shrikes and Long Tailed Shrikes along the fences.

 

 

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Black-winged Kite

Long-tailed Shrike

However, the star of the show would be my lifer, the Black Drongo. As our car drove deeper and deeper into the rural farmland, I noticed one of the many silhouettes lining the fence was distinctively different, a quick glance using the binocs confirmed it was our target. Slowly but surely, our car inched towards the bird and we got full-frame views of the bird. The adrenaline dissipated as a truck zoomed past, spooking the bird. What a great compensation for the lackluster raptor watch this morning. I would gladly take stunning views of a Black Drongo over a pixel of a rare raptor!

Black Drongo

 Following that, all my raptor watches were in vain with mostly common species. I would always go on the wrong dates and miss the goodies such as Needletails and even a Short Toed Snake Eagle. Although my luck would soon change for the better on a later date. 

Japanese Sparrowhawk

Crested Goshawk

14th Nov

After my school performance which the rehearsals for caused me to miss many year birds, I was determined to make a comeback. With the recent news of a Indian Paradise Flycatcher being spotted in the World Unesco Site, Singapore Botanical Gardens, the day after my performance I immediately went there. As soon as I reached, I missed the bird by 1 minute! After an hour of waiting, it was finally spotted. It was an extremely difficult bird to photograph and with my terrible luck and short height, I could never get an open angle. Even if I was the first to spot it, the crowds would quickly surround me and the bird would disappear the next second. I only managed a few record shots but I was quite content.

Indian Paradise Flycatcher

While walking out to the MRT station, I encountered a nightjar sleeping soundly despite the many park-goers walking past and noisily chatting. Botanical gardens is probably the best place to see these elusive nocturnal birds. At the eco lake, I was once again interrupted on my return journey, as a Stork-billed Kingfisher was screaming his lungs out. 

Large Tailed Nightjar

Stork Billed Kingfisher

15th Nov

A raptor watch in the morning was uneventful with only a nice Male Jap Sparrowhawk and Oriental Honey Buzzard.

Japanese Sparrowhawk

Oriental Honey Buzzard

In the evening, a wader watch at Sungei Buloh produced B5 the Terek Sandpiper. Barn Swallows were also on the wires along the road. However, my attention was quickly averted to the dinosaur-like calls of the Great Billed Heron. It never fails to impress me with how majestic it is!

Terek Sandpiper

Barn Swallow

Great Billed Heron

At Sungei Tengah, the swallows were still as obliging as ever. The Black Drongo was not present and the Black Winged Kite was far away satisfied with its meal.  An Osprey flew directly over our heads.

Barn Swallow

Black-winged Kite

 

Long Tailed Shrike

Osprey

16th Nov

10 days after my sighting of the 12th record of a Besra. Who would have thought I would find the 13th record on this fateful morning! However, the next sighting was unforgettable. After many failed attempts and many dips, a majestic Greater Spotted Eagle soared above our heads. I melted on the floor in pure unfiltered joy.

Besra

Greater Spotted Eagle